Extension-ladder and fire-escape



(No ModeL) r v 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. C HARDOUIN EXTENSION LADDER AND FIREESUAPE- No. 552,180. Patented Dec. 31, 1895.

AN DREW EGRAHAM PHOTO-\ITNQWASHINGTON. D C,

Mlflr I (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. G. HA RDOUIN. EXTENSION LADDER AND FIRE ESCAPE.

ANDREW B GRAHAM. PHUTOUTHQWASNIN GTOKZD C (No Model.) v s Sheets-Sheeta. H. C. H'ARDOUIN. EXTENSION LADDER AND FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 552,180. Patented Dec-L 31, 1895.

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HENRY CHARLES HARDOUIN, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

EXTENSION-LADDER -'AND FlRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,180, dated December31, 1895. Application filed July 31, 1895. Serial No- 557,714. (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY CHARLES HAR- DOUIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chester, in the county of Delaware and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful EXtension-Ladder andFire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to an extension-ladder fire-escape of the classknown as shootingladder and truck, and the objects in view are toprovide a simple and efficient construction and arrangement of partswhereby an extension-ladder may be supported independently of a buildingand moved toward and from the same independently of the truck; toprovide means for varying the inclination of the ladder with facilityand for securing it firmly in the desired position; to provide animproved gang-plank to extend betweenthe ladder and the windows of thebuilding; and to provide means for attaching and elevating ahose-section with the ladder.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an extension-ladderconstructed in accordance with my invention, the same being arranged inthe operative position. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same folded or inposition for transportation. Fig. 3 is a partial transverse section toshow the means for extending and elevating the ladder. Fig. 4 is apartial longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 5 is a detail view inperspective of one of the gang-planks applied in the operative positionto a ladder. Fig. 6is a detail view in perspective of a gang-plank,showinga slightlymodified form of attaching devices for use when it isdesired to apply the gang-plank to the ladder at a point adjacent to theupper extremity of one of the guy-ropes. Fig. '7 is a detail view inperspective of a gang-plank applied to the ladder in rear thereof, foruse in connection with the flexible ladder as a landing or platform.Fig. 8 is a detail view of the elevator or bag used in'lowering weak orunconscious persons. Fig. 9 is a detail vertical section of the jointbetween two conends by a horizontal plate 4. The side plates 1 areprovided at intermediate points upon their outer surfaces with guidesconsisting of upper strips 5 to bear upon upper surfaces of the tracks,and lower strips 6 to bear against the lower surfaces of the same, saidlower strips being rabbeted or channeled, as shown at 7, to engagedepending guide-flanges 8 on the lower sides of the tracks. In order tofacilitate the movement of the carriage upon the track for a purposewhich will be understood as the construction of the device is explained,I employ pinions 9 fixed to a transverse shaft 10 mounted in suitablebearings on the carriage, said pinions engaging racks 11 011 thetracks 1. Locking-pins 12 are employed to engage the strips 5 and lockthe carriage at the desired longitudinal adjustment. Rising from thetruck is a frame consisting of uprights 13 connected by transversebraces 14 and longitudinal bars 15, the front crossbar being arrangedbelow the plane of the upper ends of the uprights, and an antifrictionor rolling support 16 being arranged transversely between the rearuprights, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

The drivers seat 17 may be arranged, as indicated, upon the frontuprights, and mounted at its extremities in bearings in the rearuprights is the spindle of a reel 18 for a flexible ladder 19, saidladder being shown extended in Fig. 1 and reeled in Fig. 2.

Pivoted at an intermediate point to the carriage and arranged to operatebetween the planes of the side plates 3 is the main laddersection 20,the pivot-pin 21 being arranged near the upper extremities of said sideplates, and the lower extremity of the ladder-section being adapted tobe located near the surface of the groundwhen the ladder is in itsupright position. The heel of this ladder-section, or the portionbetween its pivot and its lower extremity, is adapted to occupy aposition between the plane of the side plates 3, and'the ladder isoperated or moved from a horizontal to a vertical position by means of acable 22 attached at one end to the heel of the ladder by means of ahook 23 engaging an eye 24, and attached at the other end to a drum 25upon which it may be reeled. Any suitable means for operating this drumto take up or pay out the cable may be employed; but in the constructionillustrated the drum is provided at its extremities with gears 26, withwhich mesh pinions 27 on a transverse shaft 28, mounted in bearings onthe side plates 3, the drum and the shaft both being provided withkey-seats 29, with either of which engagethe key or crank 30. lVhenconsiderable power is necessary, as in the first portion of theoperation of elevating the ladder, motion may be communicated to thedrum through the transverse shaft, whereby the power is multiplied atthe expense of speed; but when the ladder approaches a vertical positionand less power is required the key or crank may be shifted to the seatupon the spindle of the drum to effect the adjustment with less less oftime. The side bars 15 in contact with which the outer surfaces of theside plates 3 are arranged and the peculiar manner of mounting thecarriage upon the tracks steady the carriage, and hence the ladder,against lateral vibration. A pawl 26 is employed to engage one of thegears 27 to lock the drum at the desired adjustment.

Mounted to slide longitudinally upon the main ladder-section is theupper or auxiliary ladder-section 31, and, in the constructionillustrated, guides 32 upon the outer surfaces of the side bars of theupper ladder-section are mounted in guide-grooves 33 in the innersurfaces of the side bars of the main or lower section, said guidesconsisting of blocks arranged at the lower extremities of the sides ofthe upper sect-ion, and the main or lower section is provided at itsupper end with parallel front and rear guide-bars 3-1- and 35, betweenwhich the upper section operates. In order to extend the upper section Iemploya cable having a double or looped section 36 connected at itsextremities to the lower end of the upper section and passing overpulleys 37 mounted upon a transverse bar 38 near the upper end of themain section, and attached to the loop of said section is the singlesection 39,which is reeled upon a drum 4O mounted in bearings in theside plates of the carriage. Substantially the same means forcommunicating motion to the drum 40 as those hereinbefore described forcommunieating motion to the drum 25 are employed, the same consisting ofa gear 4:1 with which engages a pawl 42 for locking the drum at thedesired adjustment, and hence the upper laddensection at the desiredextension. The spindle of the drum is extended to form a key-seat 4-3.

The lower ladder-section is provided with front and rear guy-ropesextending from the upper end of the ladder-section to suitable means fortaking up the slack. The front main guy-rope consists of a loopedsection ll detachably secured at its extremities by means of engaginghooks 45 and eyes l6 to the upper end of the main ladder-section and areeled section 47, which is attached to the drum 48, mounted in suitablebearin gs in the front uprights 13. Said drum is extended and providedwith a crank 4.), and eo-operatin g with a ratchet on the drum is alocking-pawl 51.. The rear guy-ropes 52 are detachably connected attheir upper extremities to the main ladder-section, and at their lowerends are connected to the drums 53, arranged transversely at the sidesof the truck contiguous to the rear uprights 1.3. These drums areconnected to receive, simultaneously, rotary motion by a shaft 5%,suitable bearings being provided for the shaft which is also providedwith a crank 55. Suitable means for locking the drum at the desiredadjustment, such as a pawl 56 and a ratchet 57 on the shaft, areemployed. It will be understood that after the main ladder-section hasbeen elevated to the desired position by means of the elevating devicesconnected to the heel thereof said front and rear main guy-ropes shouldbe tightened to prevent forward and rearward vibration of the upper endsection. ,A front guy-rope 58 is alsoemployed for the upperladder-section, said rope being also provided with an upper loopedsection 59 and a lower single section 60, which extends through aguide-eye 61 on the crossbar 14, and is adapted to be secured at itsfree end to a cleat 62.

In connection with the above-described construction, I employahose-seetion 63 adapted to be attached at one end to the upper extremity of the lower ladder-section by means of a hook (it, or itsequivalent, and of suilicient length to extend to the ground where itmay be attached to the usual fire-engine hose. The hose-section isprovided at an intermediate point with a second hook 65 in engagementwith a round of the main or lower ladder-seetion, and the lowerextremity thereof is provided with means, such as a hook 66, forengagement with a round to support said lower end when the ladder isfolded.

In order to bridge the intervalbetween the ladder and the windows of abuilding, I cinploy a gang-plank (37 provided at itsinner end with ahook (38 for engagement with a round of one of the ladder-sections, andcontiguous to said hook with a projection or arm (39 to bear against theouter surface of the contiguous side bar. A short approximately verticalflexible support 7 O is attached at its lower end to an eye 71 on one ofthe side edges of the plank, and a long inclined flexible support 72 isattached by means of an eye 73 to the other side edge of the plank, theupper extremities of said supports being connected and provided with ahook 74C for engagement with a round IIO above that which is engaged bythe hook 638' Said flexible supports are preferably of wire cable, orits equivalent, and the construction is such that the plank may beapplied with equal facility to either side of the ladder, the onlyadjustment necessary to adapt it for attachment to the opposite sidebeing the reversal of the flexible support, or the change thereof fromits position upon one side of the plane of the plank to a correspondingposition upon the other side of said plane. The plank is also providedat an intermediate point with eyes 75 with which may be engaged hooksupon the extremities of thehand-oables 76 and 7 7 said cables extendingthrough guide-eyes 78 and '79 located, respectively, near the upper endsof the main and upper ladder-sections. By means of thesehand-cables thegang-plank may be elevated to the firemen on the ladder by whom they arearranged in operative position to extend from the ladder to the variouswindows of the building.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a gang-plank embodying my invention applied inthe operative position to the ladder, and in Fig. 6 I have shown thesame provided with a slightly-modified form of flexible supports inwhich the long inclined support, instead of being permanently attachedto the upper end of the short or vertical support, is detachablyconnected thereto by means of a hook 80. The object of this detachableconnection between the upper extremities of said supports is to providefor the arrangement of a gang-plank at any point upon the ladder wherethe guyropes occur to interfere with the attachment to the ladder. Suchan arrangement is shown in Fig. 1, wherein one of the gang-planks isarranged near the top of the main or lower ladder-section. Under thesecircumstances, the flexible supports must be separately attached to theladder, or must be passed upon opposite sides of the contiguousguy-rope, as illustrated.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a gang-plank embodying my invention applied tothe rear of the main ladder-section in position to serve as a landing orplatform for the use of persons leaving a building by way of theflexible ladder, to save them from descending the entire distance to theground upon a flexible ladder, which, to persons unused to the exercise,is difficult and dangerous. In order to secure the attachment of thegang-plank in this position, I employ twin loose hooks 81 at theextremity of the plank, together with the flexible supports abovedescribed. A plurality of these gang-planks may be carried with theladder, and when the device is arranged for transportation the planksmay be disposed upon cross-bars 82 and 83 supported by the tracks 1, thebar 83 being loosely mounted upon the tracks, whereby it may be removedor arranged close to the bar 82 when it is desired to advance thecarriage upon the tracks.

In Fig. 8 I have shown an elevator consisting of a bag 84: adapted toreceive feeble or unconscious persons, said bag being preferablyconstructed of canvas having suitable strengthening-ropes, and it iselevated and lowered by means ofone of the hand-cables hereinbeforedescribed.

WVhen the ladder is to be folded the elevating-cable for the upperladder-section is unreeled and the slack of the guy-rope 58 is taken up,and subsequently the main laddersection is lowered to an approximatelyhorizontal position with the upper portion thereof resting upon thesupporting-roller 16. Subsequently the carriage may be moved forward bythe means provided for that purpose until the heel of the main sectionprojects beyond the front of the truck, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

It will be seen that by the construction which I employ I am enabled tocarry and support the ladder in either its folded or extended positionupon a truck of approximately one-half the length of the mainladder-section, thus reducing the weight of the structure and enablingit to be manipulated with greater facility than a long truck.

The movable carriage provides for advancing the ladder either in itsfolded or extended position, in the former case to properlydistributethe weight of the structure upon the truck, and in the lattercase to arrange the ladder opposite the windows of a building when thetruck is arranged parallel with the contiguous wall of said building, ortoward and from the building when the truck is arranged perpendicular tothe wall.

It is sometimes desirable to rest the upper end of the uppermost sectionof the ladder against the building, or bring it as close as possiblethereto, and when this arrangement is necessary the carriage may bemoved, subsequent to the extension of the ladder, toward the building,and the ladder may be inclined to bring its upper extremity into thedesired position, after which the guy-ropes may be tightened to make thedevice self-supporting. The weight of the truck is sufficient to supportthe ladder with its'load without depending upon the building.

Suspended upon the frame of the truck parallel with the side bars 15 arehand-ladders 85, one only being illustrated in the drawings, the samebeing secured in place by any approved means.

Various changes in the form, proportion,

vent displacement of the gang-plank during use and serve as a lateralbrace for the ladder. I also employ holding-pins 90 adapted to fit insockets in the tracks 1 upon opposite sides of the cross-bar 83 when theladder is arranged in position to support the front ends of thegang-planks (37, said pins being designed to prevent displacement of thecross-bar during the transportation of the ladder.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination of atruck having parallel tracks, a carriage mounted upon said tracks andprovided with upper and lower guide strips, respectively, engaging theupper and lower surfaces of the tracks, the lower guide strips beingrabbeted or channeled to engage depending flanges on the traeks,meansfor moving the carriage upon the tracks, and an extension ladder mountedupon the carriage and provided with operating devices, substantially asspecified.

2. The combination with a truck provided with end uprights, of atransverse rolling-support mounted between the rear uprights below theplane of the upper ends thereof, a carriage mounted upon the truck forforward and rearward movement, an extension ladderpivotally mounted uponthe carriage and adapted when in its horizontal position to lit betweenthe upper ends of the front and rear uprights, and rest in rear of itspivot upon said rollingsupport, and means connected to the main or lowerladder-section to elevate and lower the same.

3. The combination with a ladder, of a gang plank provided at its innerend with a hook for engagement with a round of the ladder, and flexiblesupports connected, respectively, to the inner and outer ends of theplank and at opposite sides thereof, said flexible supports beingconnected at their upper ends and provided with a hook for engagementwith an upper round of the ladder, substantially as specified.

at. The combination with a ladder, of a gang plank provided at one endwith a hook, a short flexible support secured at its lower end to theplank opposite to said hook, a long flexible support connected to theother end of the plank upon the same side as said hook, said long andshort supports being connected at their u 3 )er ends and a hook arran edcon- 1 l 7 e tiguous to said point of connection, substantially asspecified.

5. The combination with an extension ladder, of a gang plank provided atits inner end with a hook and a contiguous lateral projection, andflexible supports connected at their lower ends to the opposite sideedges of the plank, respectively, at its inner and outer ends, saidflexible supports being connected at their upper ends and provided witha second hook, substantially as specified.

(J. The combination with an extension ladder, of a gang plank providedat its inner end with twin contiguous hooks and upon its side edgecontiguous thereto with a second hook, flexible supports connected attheir lower ends, respectively, to the opposite side edges of the plankand respectively at the inner and outer ends thereof, and means arrangedat the upper ends of said supports for engaging a round of the ladderabove the plane of the plank, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of a truck provided with tracks, a carriage mountedupon said tracks, means for advancing the carriage in either directionupon the tracks, a ladder having a main section pivotall y mounted at anintermediate point upon the carriage, means for elevating and depressingsaid'main section, an upper or auxiliary ladder-section mounted upon themain section, means for extendin said upper or auxiliary section, frontand rear main guy-ropes connected at their upper ends to the mainladder-section, a front auxiliary guy-rope connected at its upper end tothe upper or auxiliary laddersection, and means for taking up slack andadjusting the tension of the guy-ropes, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto atiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- HENRY CHARLES IIARDOUIN.

\Vitnesses:

AUo-Us'rUs 'P. Sonnnn, II. II. SIMMs.

